Investment in Indian indigenous healing systems-based self-mastery and wellness programmes in organizations for efficient work culture, self-management, and wellness: A prospective longitudinal single-cohort observational study.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Workplace wellness is increasingly framed within sustainable human resource management, extending beyond symptom reduction to self-management, well-being, work-related functioning, and perceived value. However, culturally grounded approaches to workplace self-mastery and perceived return from Indian Indigenous Healing Systems (IIHS) remain underexplored. Aim: To explore and characterize perceived wellness investment associated with participation in an Indian Indigenous Healing Systems-based Self-Mastery and Wellness Programme (IIHS-SMWP) among working professionals, with reference to self-mastery, personal wellbeing, workplace functioning and efficiency, and subjective mental wellbeing over 12 months. Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach included an initial qualitative phase followed by a prospective longitudinal single-cohort observational study. Seventy working professionals from diverse sectors in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, participated in IIHS-SMWP and were followed for 12 months. Participants attended 24 programme sessions based on a common framework with participant-specific sequencing. Outcomes were assessed using a face- and construct-validated study-specific questionnaire with high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.90) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Within-participant comparisons used paired t-tests and repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Significant longitudinal differences were observed across assessed domains. Self-mastery, awareness of and engagement with IIHS, personal well-being-return outcomes, workplace-related outcomes, and WHO-5 raw and percentage scores all also improved significantly over follow-up (p≤0.002), with partial η² ranging from 0.044 to 0.881. Conclusion: The findings showed longitudinal changes in self-mastery, well-being, workplace functioning, IIHS engagement, and mental well-being among IIHS-SMWP professionals. They support conceptualising wellness investment as a multidimensional construct spanning personal, functional, organisational, and cultural domains. However, observational design, lack of a control group, convenience sampling, and self-reported outcomes preclude causal attribution, therapeutic efficacy, and conclusions about productivity or financial return. Recommendation: Further controlled, multicentre, adequately powered studies incorporating objective measures of workplace functioning, productivity, healthcare utilisation, absenteeism, and programme-related costs are recommended to determine whether observed longitudinal changes translate into measurable organisational and economic benefits.
DOI: 10.51168/9h036d06
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $40
OpenAlex ID: W7213434844